In the ever-evolving landscape of digital marketing, digital PR, or link building as it’s sometimes referred to, remains an important strategy for driving SEO performance. When done correctly, building links can help to increase a website’s visibility and authority.
Whilst digital PR campaigns are one of the top methods to drive links, other tactics are just as successful, including technical link reclamation. So, if you want to learn more about this strategy, I’ve outlined five technical link reclamation tactics you can explore below.
Unlinked mentions
Unlinked mentions are when a journalist or blogger naturally mentions a brand or product in an article without linking to it. This can happen through PR activity or natural pick-up.
If you spot your brand or product being mentioned in an article, it’s a good opportunity to reach out and ask the journalist for a link to a relevant page on your website. This is also beneficial for the journalist as it will offer their readers more information on the brand or topic being discussed.
One thing to keep in mind is to always consider the context and sentiment of the article, don’t push for a link if the article isn’t painting your brand in the best light.
Unlinked mentions are very easy to find. You can manually search your brand name on Google and look through articles to spot any without a link or set up alerts via Google Alerts, TalkWalker Alerts or Buzzsumo and get notified when your brand gets mentioned online.
Broken backlinks
As the name suggests, broken backlinks refer to links that aren’t working. This could be because a page may no longer exist or has restricted access. You can find these broken links on external websites such as media publications and blogs and reach out to journalists who have written the story, suggesting alternative pages to link out to on your website. This tactic usually works well as journalists don’t want to send readers to a broken page, especially if you can offer a helpful alternative.
This can also be applied to broken competitor links. If you notice that there is a broken link to a competitor site but know you have more up-to-date or relevant content on your site, you could ask a journalist if they’d like to add a new, updated link for their readers to access further information.
Broken links can be found using SEO tools such as Ahrefs. Simply type the website domain into the Site Explorer section and select the ‘broken backlinks’ option.
Business directory listing
This method works well for brands that have retail stores in multiple locations. Add your brand to national listing websites such as Yell and Yellow Pages, as well as regional websites such as Leeds Business Directory and the Manchester Business Directory.
This is not only a great way for your business to get more exposure online, but you also get a highly authoritative backlink which will increase the number of visitors to your website.
Stockist listings
This method often only works for retail and e-commerce brands. Get in touch with brands that are sold on your e-commerce website and ask if they can add a link to a relevant page on your website – this is usually a link to their product page on your website.
Some brands have a dedicated page listing all the companies/sites their product is being sold at, so this is a great opportunity to ask them to add a link to your website if they haven’t already done so. It also usually has a high success rate as it is beneficial to both brands because it increases product exposure and brand visibility.
Image link building
This refers to finding websites that are using your images without proper attribution – whether it’s product images, lifestyle images, or infographics – you can ask them to link to your website and provide proper attribution.
To find your brand images on external sites, add the image on Google Image Search and look through the results to see where your image has been used and whether you have been attributed properly.
Mastering broken link building is a great way to enhance your PR strategy and support with increasing your website’s visibility and authority. Strategies such as unlinked mentions, fixing broken backlinks, and directory listings create a comprehensive toolkit for boosting your online presence.
To learn more about link building without running a PR campaign, check out this blog. However, if you’re looking to build brand awareness and take your website to the next level, get in touch with us today to find out how we can help.
